As a juried wood turner I often have opinions about the art and craft of lathe work. Here I intend from time to time to give my opinions regarding our craft of wood turning along with discussions of woodturning tools, lathes, sharpening and the like as well as entertaining other ideas from turners, artisans and interested parties.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

After the wood lathe itself, one of
the most used tools in the woodturning workshop is the band saw. For
many woodturners, after the lathe and the grinder have been bought
and set up, the band saw is the next purchase for large machinery. A
few simple steps make it a better tool for woodturners and other
woodworkers.

Like many woodworking machines, the
band saw needs to be set up and periodically tuned for safe and
accurate use. Most such machines in the home shop are typically two
wheel saws, fourteen inches in diameter. The size refers to the
diameter of the wheels and not to the depth of cut which will likely
be in the six inch range.

Those wheels will look much like
bicycle tires with rubber rims. While they will of course be clean in
a new saw, as the tool is used the tires need periodically to be
brushed clean of dust which will cake on to them especially from
green softwoods. They also need to be properly lined up.

This means they need to be parallel
to one another and running coplanar. There should be a means to
adjust the distance of the free running wheel, that is, the one not
powered by the motor. While this may be form shims, set screws or
some other method, it should be noted in the instructions from the
saw. A straight edge spanning both wheels, placed immediately before
the axles, should touch the top and bottom rims of both the top and
bottom wheels simultaneously for the wheels to be coplanar and
parallel.

Once this is done, the blade should
run at the center of both wheels. There will be an adjusting knob to
track the blade. With the saw unplugged rotate the wheels by hand and
adjust to track in the middle. Tighten the blade so it can be moved a
quarter of an inch at center or follow the instructions with your
saw. Each blade will need to be tracked and tensioned when it is
installed and may need periodic adjustment during use.

A band saw is useful for wood
preparation both for small projects and for large. For small, finer
cuts a one quarter inch six tooth blade is a good one to start with
for general use and wood up to a couple of inches thick. Heavier
green wood for bowls and the like will require a three eighths three
point blade or something similar. Like all saws, blades need to be
kept sharp and clean for good use. Having a couple of extras on hand
is a good idea.

Band saws are versatile for straight
or curved cuts and a valuable asset for the woodturner. They are easy
to set up and use as well as being one of the safest cutting tools in
the shop.